Power of Appreciation.
When we are feeling good about ourselves, our performance improves. We achieve more because we are more motivated to try new things. When we are feeling positive, our doubts fade and our confidence grows dramatically. If we want our teams to perform at their creative best, then it is crucial that we demonstrate to them how much their contribution counts to us and how much we value that contribution.
The best way to demonstrate this is to simply tell them. Peter Drucker describes it as “catching people doing the right things and telling them about it“. Often we have a tendency to point out where people are going wrong rather than telling them all the wonderful things that they are doing right. We need to reverse this destructive habit and refocus on the positive aspects of our team’s performance. We need to verbalize it.
Showing appreciation is critical in keeping teams motivated. The key element in showing such appreciation is to be specific. I have noticed in some org
anisations the word ‘awesome’ is frequently used for general praise. It is far more motivating to tell our team members EXACTLY what it is about that individual or their piece of work that is ‘awesome’. Appreciation that is not specific lacks impact, as it remains to a large degree impersonal. When we are specific and personal in our appreciation, the impact can be incredible. The individual feels valued and motivated and there are good bottom-line business reasons for doing this.
Imagine if every single member of your team felt appreciated by you and by his or her colleagues. Think of how powerful that would be, how motivated the team would be, how hard it would be for the competition to keep up, how much more sales could be achieved.
So for the month of July, let’s focus on ‘catching people doing the right things and showing specific appreciation’.
Unleash your Power of Appreciation in your company and see what happens
The best of luck!!
Maurice Whelan,
Founder and Managing Director
Unleash Potential
